Jules Bianchi
|birthplace = Nice, France |death date = |placeofdeath = Nice, France |nationality = |status = Deceased |currentteam = |currentcar = 17 |firstrace = 2013 Australian Grand Prix |firstwin = |lastrace = 2014 Japanese Grand Prix |lastwin = |2014Pts = 2 |2014Pos = 17th }} Jules Bianchi ( ; born 3 August 1989 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France - died 17 July 2015 in Nice) was a motor racing driver who drove for the team. He previously tested for both and , and was a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Bianchi was also the great-nephew of the late Lucien Bianchi who competed in F1 from 1959 until 1968. He drove the No. 17 car, a number he didn't apply for as his three choices were allocated before Bianchi's number was decided. Bianchi finished 9th in the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix and scored the first points for both himself and Marussia despite a 5-second time penalty which pushed him down a place. Pascal Wehrlein has since also scored points for the team. At the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Bianchi aquaplaned off the track at the Dunlop Curve, colliding with the crane that at the time was tending to Adrian Sutil's car. Bianchi somehow survived the incident which tore the roll box off the car, however, he suffered significant head injuries and brain damage in the process. A similar crash happened 20 years earlier at the same circuit, with Martin Brundle destroying his McLaren and hit and injured a track marshall, who suffered a broken leg. He exited his coma in mid-November. He died in early hours of the morning of 17 July 2015. Pre-Formula One Formula One career Ferrari test driver 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 and beyond Force India test driver Marussia 2013 Bianchi replaced Luis Razia after Razia's contract got terminated. In the meantime, Bianchi gridded P19 in his debut, out-qualified teammate Max Chilton. He even overtook Pastor Maldonado and Daniel Ricciardo on the first lap and finished P15. Once again, Bianchi was gridded P19 just less than a second away for Q2. He fell behind by the Caterham. But in the race, he was able to beat Chilton and the Caterham team, so he finished P13. On the Hungarian Grand Prix, Bianchi beat Chilton again on all qualifying sessions. But on the Japanese Grand Prix, Bianchi and Charles Pic were given 10 place grid penalties for receiving three reprimands over the season and his race ended with a collision on Giedo van der Garde. 2014 Bianchi raced again in the Marussia car, but this time in the number 17. He struggled at the Australian Grand Prix where he was not classified. In Monaco Grand Prix, Bianchi scored his first points in career despite of his 5 second time penalty that caused him to lose 1 place. He and teammate Max Chilton were battling for the best Marussia racer, Bianchi was the quickest driver than Chilton. However, Bianchi retired 3 more times than Chilton. Prior to the Suzuka accident, Bianchi should be prepared for Scuderia in place of Fernando Alonso. After the Suzuka accident, Bianchi would be out for the rest of the season because of the injuries he suffered. Suzuka accident On lap 43, Bianchi lost control of his as he exited the Dunlop Curve, turn 8, and aquaplaned off the track at high speed. However, as Adrian Sutil had spun off in similar circumstances the lap before, the crane used to pick up cars stuck in the gravel was in the run-off area. Bianchi hit the crane, at a speed of 78 mph (126 km/h) causing an impact of 50 g. The roll bar was completely ripped off the car, and the engine and exhaust systems were visible. Bianchi, lucky to survive at all, was rendered unconscious, unresponsive to radio calls and the nearby marshals. Once the severity of the situation became clear, the race was stopped. Transported by ambulance to the circuit's medical centre, it was determined that Bianchi would have to take another ambulance journey under police escort to Mie General Medical Center, which was under ten miles (sixteen kilometres) away from the circuit. The ambulance was chosen over the medical helicopter after it was felt that flying in the weather conditions was unsafe. Once at the hospital, Bianchi underwent a CT scan which diagnosed a severe head injury. Bianchi's father also reported that he had heavy bruising. He was immediately operated on and was later transferred to the intensive care unit. It was reported that Bianchi was breathing unaided, but this was later found to not be the case. The FIA released an official statement while Bianchi was being operated on. On Monday morning, Marussia released a statement (with ) asking fans for patience on the issue. An update from the FIA medical chief was given out during lunchtime (European time), stating Bianchi was in a critical condition but stable. On 7 October, Bianchi's parents released a statement, stating that he had suffered a diffuse axonal injury, which is a common yet devastating type of brain injury. He was reported to still be in a critical yet stable position. At the , Marussia left Bianchi's car empty. The drivers paid homage to Bianchi, and a short silence was honoured. Following the race, an additional statement was released on 14 October, which stated that Bianchi's situation had not changed and that the demonstrations of support were of enormous comfort to Bianchi's friends and family. A new statement was released on 30 October, in which his condition was still classified as "critical but stable". An update on 19 November confirmed that Bianchi had emerged from his coma, was breathing unaided and had being transferred to the Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU) in Nice, France. A new statement on 30 December stated that while Bianchi was improving, progress was slow. In an interview given to news radio France Info on the 13 of July (4 days before his death), Philippe Bianchi, Bianchi's father, stated that Jules had shown "no significant progress" in the nine months following the accident. FIA Accident Panel investigation The FIA Accident Panel was put together on 20 October and was composed of ten people, including former team principals Ross Brawn and Stefano Domenicali, GPDA chairman Alex Wurz and two-time World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi.FIA Accident Panel (20 October 2014). After studying the crash, the panel released a 396-page report on 3 December.Accident Panel (3 December 2014). They made eleven conclusions and seven recommendations. They stated that while the marshals had been responding correctly to Sutil's accident, a combination of factors, including that a river of water was running across the track, that Bianchi had been going too fast, that he over-controlled the car and that a failsafe to help slow the car not been activated all contributed to the accident. The report concluded that there was little point in trying to make an impact between a car and a heavy object safer, but rather focus on preventing such occasions from ever being an issue. Official statements Formula One Statistical Overview F1 Career Record Career Results || ||| | | | || ||||| |||—|—}} |17th|16th| |16th|18th|19th|18th|16th| |18th|20th|18th|17th|0|19th}} | |16th|17th|18th| | |15th|14th|15th|15th|18th|18th|16th|20th| | | | |2|17th}} Formula One Tests Notes External links *Official Website (English) *Wikipedia article *Manipe F1 article Category:1989 births Category:2015 deaths Category:French Drivers Category:2013 Début Drivers‎ Category:Force India Drivers Category:Marussia Drivers Category:F1 drivers killed while racing